


Breaking the ice

by S_Nebulosa



Series: Supercorpvember 2020 [8]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Avalanches, F/F, First Meetings, Hypothermia, Meet-Cute, Mountains, Skiing, Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:27:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27493444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/S_Nebulosa/pseuds/S_Nebulosa
Summary: After a stressful time at work, Lena has finally treated herself to a holiday. She will spend it skiing down every slope (and off-piste route) she can find (or carve out for herself).In the lobby of her hotel, she runs into a cute blonde and they agree to go out for drinks later that day. But during skiing, Lena gets caught in an avalanche and is stuck in the snow.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Series: Supercorpvember 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995994
Comments: 9
Kudos: 182





	Breaking the ice

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the supercorptober prompt 'ice'.
> 
> Sorry, this fic got a little out of hand. Laura, I blame you. But also: this one is for you, hope you like it!

Lena has traveled a long way to get here and frankly, she is a little tired. But she hasn’t taken a night bus to go immediately to bed after arriving. She is dead set on skiing today. And one breath of the fresh cold air burning slightly in her nose and lungs perks up her mood immensely.

With a smile on her face, she swiftly checks into the hotel and unpacks only that which she needs–skiing clothes which she immediately changes into, ski boots, skis and poles, a helmet and orange goggles, a transceiver, pole, foldable shovel and airbag backpack. Clad in her skiing gear and everything she needs on her, she hurries downstairs. She doesn’t pay attention to where she is going, and when her feet hit the last stair, she knocks into someone and falls over. Skis go tumbling and Lena smacks into a soft body.

The soft body of a pretty blonde.

Any other day, Lena might get angry. But today she is in a good mood and really, it probably was her fault because she was already on the slope with her thoughts instead of paying attention to where she was going. She quickly gets off the stranger’s body and takes inventory of her body. Everything feels fine. Nothing hurt. Next, she checks in on the stranger.

“Are you okay?” Lena gets up and reaches out a hand to help the blonde.

“Yes, I think so,” the other woman replies, trying her limbs and nodding when everything seems to be functional.

“I’m so sorry,” Lena says as she bends to get her skis so they’re no longer blocking the entire hallway.

“No, I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going,” the blonde counters.

“Well, neither was I.”

“You could have hurt yourself badly. You were on the stairs. Let me make it up to you?” the blonde offers.

“That’s not necessary,” Lena declines politely.

“Please. I’d feel bad if I couldn’t get to properly apologise,” the blonde insists.

“You don’t have to apologise. It was an accident.”

“I’m Kara,” the blonde says, out of the blue. It throws Lena for a loop but she is nothing if not quick to catch herself. She is a Luthor after all. This is what she has been trained to do all her life.

“I’m Lena,” Lena answers with curious interest.

“Now that we’re on first name basis, is it okay if I ask you for drinks later, not to apologise but to get to know you?”

_Is this woman flirting with her?_ Well, Lena is into it. She is pretty and seems very nice.

“Okay, later today. I’m going skiing first, that’s why I’m here in the first place,” Lena explains.

“Obviously,” Kara answers with a small laugh. _It’s really cute_ , Lena thinks. “How about at 5, after the lifts and slopes have all closed?”

“Sure. Do you have a place in mind?”

“I’ll pick you up here,” Kara says mysteriously. “You don’t need to wear anything fancy. Jeans and t-shirt will suffice. But skiing clothes are probably a little warm.”

“Okay, noted,” Lena says and she takes a better hold of her skis. “I’ll see you at 5 then.”

Kara nods. “Yes. Have fun skiing and stay safe.”

“Always,” Lena answers easily with a confident smile. She’s a good skier. She knows what she’s doing.

Kara turns around and walks away. The back of her jacket says “Mountain Rescue Service”. So she probably knows what she’s talking about too, Lena realises. Well, always nice to get to know a fellow skier, or snowboarder. At least, Lena assumes Kara knows how to do either of those with a job like that.

With her head in the clouds, Lena leaves the hotel and gets on the first lift up the mountain. She will start with some simple slopes to get a lay of the land and then move on to some more advanced slopes and off-piste routes. Something more her level. That way she can enjoy herself better and won’t scare any beginners by her tight turns close to them–beginners always think people are skiing too close to them because they don’t have the control yet to stop quickly.

The snow is sublime. Lena enjoys every turn she makes. It’s fresh and makes a nice creaking sound when she pushes her ski in it. She glides over the white powder like resistance does not exist. Like she’s made to ski here. Like a skate on ice. A kid on a soapy slide. Butter in a hot pan. Skiing is like second nature and it doesn’t take long for Lena to feel comfortable enough with the area to take to a little more challenging routes–backcountry of course. She double checks her equipment. Her avalanche airbag backpack, also containing some food and water, her transceiver, probe and foldable shovel. It’s all there. She’s set.

Confidently, she starts at the first official slope which will split off into an unofficial backcountry skiing route through the forest and down the mountain off to the side. At the end, she will need to remember to make her way back on time or else she might pass the lift station and will have to walk back up–not that she’s never done that before, it’s just an unnecessary hassle and very exerting and uncomfortable.

Everything goes off without a hitch and she easily finds the unofficial route.

It seems like she’s the first to ski here. That makes finding the way back to the official slope on time a tad harder but it just means she needs to be more alert. Which might be a good thing because unofficial routes can be a bit tricky sometimes. You never know whether you will end up on a jagged rock or small spruce if you’re not watching where you’re going. They’re not cleared so it’s your own responsibility not to ski into them. That only ads to the thrill though. It also means the snow is fresher and she can enjoy it to the max. No one has created icy patches or bumps.

Lena weaves around trees, rocks and grassy areas. Her skis cut into the snow and she feels more alive than she has in a long time. She really needed this vacation.Work has been stressful and never-ending.

The wind blows through the stray hairs peeking out from beneath Lena’s helmet. It slams into the face mask she wears for exactly this reason. Her skin will be red and raw by the time she finishes skiing today, but it’s worth it. And with the mask it’s not as bad as without. Excitedly, Lena finds herself a nice bump on the descent and uses it to launch herself. She flies through the air and smoothly lands a few meters further down. She lets out a loud laugh. A laugh of happiness and relief. Of letting go. Of relaxation.

Behind her, a loud rumble sounds. It is a deep sound. Deeper than any animal, and louder. And only getting even louder. It doesn’t seem to end.

Then Lena realises. The sound isn’t getting louder per se. It is getting closer. And it definitely is not an animal. No animal can make a sound like this. Suddenly, she feels herself filled with dread. Before she can take any action, the avalanche is upon her and her legs are swept from beneath her feet.

She loses her skis somewhere along the way.

All the while, Lena keeps sliding. Now is a time to keep her head straight. Stay calm, she tells herself. She pulls the tag of her backpack and her airbag starts to inflate with a low buzzing sound. Keeping her arms close to her body, she lets herself slide, hoping she won’t get buried.

Lena tries to take careful breaths, focussing on that instead of on her falling. On the snow around her. On the risk and the possibility she might not survive this.

Eventually, Lena slows to a stop. Her head pillowed on her airbag, safely above the snow. Sadly, her feet and arms were not that lucky. And the snow seems packed together heavily. Lena can’t gain an inch wiggle room for any of her limbs. She is not going to get out of this alone. Not before the sun has long since disappeared at least. Or before she inevitably freezes to death during the cold night.

In the background, Lena notices the loud sound of a distant alarm. The avalanche alarms. It reassures Lena a little. Hopefully they will start a search to find anyone who got caught in the avalanche. To find her.

Lena hopes her transceiver is still sending out a signal. It’s a sturdy device and she had checked the battery before leaving, so it should be fine. But there’s still this small nagging fear that something is wrong. That no one is going to find her.

At least she is not in an uncomfortable position. Though obviously she’d be much more comfortable in a warm room on a couch, or in her bed. But she can’t lose hope. She is sure she will get out of here. Might get out of here. If she’s lucky, she gets out of here.

_Shit._

With great effort, Lena manages to not freak out completely. Instead, she focusses her energy on trying to get one arm out. It’s the only thing she can do right now so she will do it. She wiggles her fingers and wrist, puts in the weight of her torso. Slowly, agonisingly so, she gains tiny bits of movement. Until eventually, the snow is loose enough for her to heave her arm out with great effort.

Lena has no idea how much time has passed. She should have paid attention to that, but she didn’t. Lesson learned, if there ever is a next time. If she gets out of here. The sun seems to have moved but Lena can’t tell if it’s a distance the sun would travel in 10 minutes in this area and during time of year or a distance it travels in 3 hours.

_Is it getting colder?_ She feels colder, at least.

Before her mind can wonder off into desperation again, Lena sets it to wiggling free her other hand. She managed her right, so she should be able to get her left out too, shouldn’t she? Once she has both hands free, maybe she can check her transceiver or see if she can get started on digging herself out. Get to her backpack and get out the two emergency chemical heating pads she keeps with her at all times. She is starting to lose sensation in her feet from the cold and her fingers are not faring much better. Her nose feels frosty and she’s glad for her helmet because her ears are cold but not yet numb or burning.

The sirens have stopped blaring in the background and Lena tries to pay it no mind. She’s still working on getting out her other arm and trying not to panic. She isn’t faring too well on either. And while the former seems to be progressing painfully slow, at least there seems to be progression. The latter, on the other hand, is only getting worse. There is only so much Lena can try to say to the panicky part of her brain that will help. Especially after so much time has passed.

There isn’t a single sound on the mountain that indicates human presence. No engines, no voices, no machines or radios. Nothing. Only the wind, the birds and Lena’s fast breathing. Only the voice inside her head that tells her she is not going to get out of here.

Getting her left arm out, though progressing, seems an impossibly harder task than getting her right arm out was. It feels like it has been ages since Lena last felt progress and she’s all alone and stuck in her own head. A salty tear fights to escape her eye. Lena fights back. She is not going to give up. She is not going to survive an avalanche and have endless fresh air to breathe, only to die from the elements because she can’t get herself out.

She takes a deep breath. And another. She wipes away the stubborn tear and braces herself. With a loud scream, Lena puts everything she has into getting her left arm out. She doesn’t care about setting off another avalanche–though maybe she should–she just wants to get out of here.

Something moves. Snow dislodges and it is easier to move her left arm now. She keeps wiggling it, willing it to be free. When she finally manages, she can’t help but burst into tears. She isn’t there yet, but progress is progress and this feels like a huge milestone.

She tries to get to her backpack but her fingers are cold and difficult to control and the backpack is stuck beneath the snow and her airbag. She cannot reach her heater packs. But it’s getting chillier and chillier with the minute and will only continue doing so. If she doesn’t get out soon, she _is_ going to die. But she’s not going to get out or warm up by sitting still, so Lena sets off to digging away the snow around her, her hands hard to control but by sheer force of will, she persists.

The first layer is easy to clear. The snow has already been dislodge by her wriggling to get her arms out, but after that layer, it is more densely packed. With her numb fingers, which are now getting near on impossible to control, it is extremely difficult to make any progress here.

But when Lena is about ready to slam her frozen hand on top of the hard snow and risk breaking every bone in it, she hears something. Like a rabbit, she tilts her head towards the sound. Intently listening for any sign of humans. She hears a low humming. A snowmobile, maybe? It gets louder and then Lena hears an alarm too, a blaring sound to notify people on slopes that a snowmobile is driving there and to be careful. And with the nearing sound, Lena feels her hope grow. Her heart rate increase. A cautious smile return to her face. Lena turns to the sound and starts shouting.

“Over here! I’m over here!” Lena yells, waving her hands high up in the air.

The sound of the snowmobile keeps getting louder. Eventually it emerges from the trees, heading straight towards Lena. A few meters short of her, it stops and a member of the Mountain Rescue Team gets off. Their large coat, goggles and face mask completely hide any human features but Lena doesn’t care who is going to rescue her.

The rescuer gets out a shovel from the back of the snowmobile and walks towards Lena. She can see them talk into a communication device but they are still out of earshot. Gradually, they close in on Lena and walk to her front so they can face each other.

“Are you okay?” a feminine voice asks. The person stays a bit away. Lena assumes it’s to avoid potentially stepping on top of her body and doing (more) damage.

“Yes, yes, I think so. Just cold.” Lena feels her voice waver from the desire her muscles have to shiver. It is a good sign. Her body still has energy to shiver and keep itself warm. It means her organs are not yet shutting down.

“I will get you some warming packs and a blanket. My colleague is coming soon but I will start digging you out. Just help guide me so I don’t hit your legs with my shovel,” the rescuer says and they walk back to the snowmobile to get out a thermal blanket and some chemical heat packs just like the ones Lena carries, but a few sizes up.

Once Lena is as comfortably wrapped up as possible, the rescuer starts clearing away the snow, using Lena’s help to avoid hurting her. It takes a bit, the snow seems determined to keep Lena trapped, but after a short while, another rescuer joins and with their shared effort, Lena gets freed. She is swiftly wrapped up in blankets and more heat packs, tied onto a banana cart trailing behind a snowmobile and driven down.

Lena is carried into a lift and brought down the mountain by the rescuers. In the lift, the mountain rescuers start talking to her. Asking if she was alone–the rest of their team is still searching on the mountain for anyone else caught in the avalanche so anything Lena knows can help them.

The Mountain Rescuer who first found her, asks her name and she tells them it’s Lena.

“Lena?” the rescuer asks curiously, but gives Lena no information that would inform her why her name would be interesting. Then, they start taking off their mask and goggles. The lift is not as cold as the outside, so Lena kind of gets it, although she will keep on her own gear a little longer because she’s still feeling very cold.

Pink cheeks and blue eyes are revealed, a few blonde baby hairs peeking out from beneath the helmet and Lena realises why it is her name rang a bell. Memories of meeting Kara and agreeing on going for drinks rush back in. She hadn’t forgotten, really, but she just didn’t remember to remember.

“Kara?” she asks.

“So, it’s really you,” Kara remarks with a small smile. “Well, I’m glad I’m not waiting in the lobby for you because that would have been a disappointment.”

The other rescuer sits in silence, head tilted away from Lena and Kara. They’re clearly trying not to listen but it’s a small gondola. Lena and Kara just ignore them.

“It’s that late already?” Lena asks shocked.

“Yes, it’s a little past five now. I left a note at the hotel desk for you so you wouldn’t be waiting for me.” Kara laughs a little awkwardly and shrugs. “I guess that wasn’t necessary.”

Lena laughs too. “I guess it was not.”

“Do you think it’s a sign?” Kara asks. “We’ve run into each other twice now.”

“I don’t usually believe in signs but you’d think the universe was trying to tell us something, wouldn’t you?”

Kara hums in agreement. “Well, since I clearly can’t take you out for drinks right now, how about this: I accompany you to the hospital–”

Lena tries to argue that. She doesn’t want to be taken to the hospital. But Kara is quick to cut her off.

“And you are going there. Procedure. You could have injuries you don’t notice and you should really get checked out just in case. After that, I will bring you back to the hotel and treat you to a nice dinner. I think you deserve it after a day like this. Unless you want to be alone. But I’m not opposed to having dinner in your hotel room while we watch a movie. I know the hotel has a nice selection to choose from.”

Lena listens in amusement. Kara can rattle. _It is utterly adorable_ , if you ask Lena. Part of her screams to spend tonight alone, wrapped up in blankets not doing anything. But a louder part screams to take Kara up on her offer and watch a nice movie together, wrapped up in blankets. Kara seems like she would be quick to agree on that.

“Watching a movie sounds nice,” Lena admits.

And so, that’s what they do. Lena gets checked at the hospital and she was right, she’s fine. Just needs to do some more warming up to get the blood flow to her toes, fingers, nose and ears restored. After she is cleared, Kara gets them a ride back to the hotel and orders food. Wrapped up in blankets and pressed closer together than Lena would ever have imagined herself feeling comfortable with, they watch a movie. And comfortable they are. Lena can’t get over how much like a perfect night it feels. How nice it is to sit so close to Kara and feel her body heat.

And maybe they fall asleep watching the movie and Kara spends the night because her car is still at the bottom of the slopes and there aren’t any cabs in this area, especially at this time of night. Lena doesn’t believe in fate but maybe she should start doing so after today.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm present on [tumblr](https://s-nebul0sa.tumblr.com) so come find me, if you dare.


End file.
